RAW HIDES FOR DOGS SKIN

Eventually it will soften to the point the dog can bite a piece off and swallow it. As the dog chews, the combination of the dog's saliva and the chewing action softens the rawhide. Rawhide starts out extremely hard due to the dried collagen that exists in the hide. If these bacteria are present, they can infect human family members when they handle the treats, as well as the pets when they chew on the rawhide.Įven disregarding the possibility of chemical or biological contamination, there are other dangers inherent in rawhide. In addition, since the hides comes from animals, there is a chance the treats made from them can be tainted with E-coli or salmonella bacteria. A label may give a false impression (for example, 'made for USA' not 'made in USA' or 'made in the Americas' - which could indicate it was processed in South America). Even if a country is listed, the consumer needs to be aware. However, this can be hard to ascertain since the country of origin may or may not be shown on the packaging. One of the safest options is to get rawhide manufactured in the United States. There's not even a way for the consumer to know for sure what animal (or animals) originally provided the hide. There's no way for a consumer to tell what chemicals were used in the processing. There isn't even a requirement that the ingredients be listed. Since the hide is never cooked, it remains 'raw': hence the name rawhide.Īlthough many dog chews are labeled as 'treats,' they are not considered a food by the FDA, so there are no regulations concerning the ingredients or the processing procedures. The hides are then dried and cut and formed into different shapes to make your dog's chews. Some countries use arsenic and/or formaldehyde, although the use of these chemicals is banned in the United States. Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to clean the hides. According to the FDA, some products have had to be recalled due to causing gastric irritation, diarrhea, and vomiting.Įven under the best of circumstances, the cleaning process itself can include the use of lye or bleach. Unfortunately, those chemicals can be very dangerous for your dog to ingest and are not approved for rawhide production in the United States. These hides are then bleached and/or treated with other chemicals to get rid of the dark color and acrid odor.Īs an alternative to refrigeration, sometimes the skins are treated with chemicals prior to transportation to help prevent, or at least delay, the decay. The hides can begin to decay and rot and sometimes arrive at their destinations in a somewhat putrid condition. Sometimes these hides are transported for miles over many days in closed, hot vehicles. But that's not always the case in other countries. Within the United States, these hides are transported in refrigerated trucks to prevent spoilage. The hide needs to be sent to a processing plant, typically a tannery, to be split and cleaned. And that's where the dangers of rawhide begin. Anyone who's had a dog who snacks in the cat's litter-box or the backyard can certainly think of worse things for a dog to chew on.īut there's more to it than that. That doesn't sound too bad, though, does it? The hide shouldn't be that bad for dogs. This is the layer that becomes your dog's rawhide chew toy. The inner layer is stripped of the fat, muscle, and hair. The outermost layer of hide is removed and used for leather goods: shoes, accessories, garments, upholstery, etc.

RAW HIDES FOR DOGS SKIN

The hide generally comes from hoofed animals like cows, horses, and water buffalo.Īnimal hide has layers, as does human skin, although the layers of our skin are much thinner. What better way to redirect the teeth of destruction that masqueraded as your dog?īut is rawhide really the great choice we thought it was? Perhaps not. Plus, these chews came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This relatively inexpensive treat would keep your dog away from more valuable chewing choices. Rawhide was similar to leather, and dogs love to chew on leather.

The first rawhide bones and chews were introduced in the late 1950s. Rather than let them chew on shoes and furniture, dog owners have used chew toys and bones as an alternative.

But there is at least one very major drawback to dog's chewing: many, if not most, dogs are rather indiscriminate chewers. A cleaner mouth promotes better overall health in the animal and helps control 'doggy breath.'Ĭhewing can help relieve boredom and stress in dogs. Chewing on hard objects helps scrape away tartar and plaque from dogs' teeth, keeping their teeth and gums clean. It's natural and instinctive for dogs to chew chewing helps strengthen dogs' jaws.

Raw hides for dogs